New York City is saturated with specialty wine stores.  Competition is driving prices down, but it is also improving quality for customers.

Rochester is now home to several wine bars:

Chocolate and Vines

Solera Wine Bar

Veritas Wine Bar

Flight Wine Bar

Benucci’s Wine Bar

There are other restaurants featuring a wine bar as well.  Some of the more popular options include:

Next Door

Pomodoro Grill and Wine Bar

Amore Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar

Café Ciban

JoJo Bistro and Wine Bar

Limancello

Label 7

Bistro 135

I am excited about the variety of offerings available so close to home.  With so many quality establishments, there is a style and ambience to suit my every mood.

However, Rochester is suffering from a saturation of sushi restaurants, resulting in closure of several local establishments in 2013.  If too many wine bars open, they may struggle to attract enough market base to survive in the midsized urban market in Rochester.  I’d hate to see any of them go out of business.  I know a wine bar is a labor of love.  If you know me, you know I admire anyone who can make a living doing something they love.  Selfishly, I hope the local market supports these niche specialty businesses so they stay around for a long time.

What do you think?  Tell us what you like about your favorite wine bar and if you’d like to see more of them in Rochester.  We’d love to hear your thoughts.